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Now that the first Soldiers story arc is done, I'd like to praise Robbie for how deftly he's been playing Kattigan so far. In particular, I'd like to shout out how well he's used implications and negative space to fill in information about him as a character, specifically, how clear it is that Kattigan is a -likely bereaved- parent.

Because Kattigan never says this, nor do Teor or Thimble who knew him in that past, but it's so clear in how he interacts with Tyranny, especially in episode 11, that this man has had children. He talks about children never learning from the first lesson like it's something he's experienced before. The confidence and clarity with which he delivers the lesson also belies the fact that he knows what to do and has done this before. The emotion of that whole scene with Tyranny is so strong and unsettles him so much (and he's normally pretty unflappable when in his element) that he has to walk away from the group and spend time decompressing on his own. And then there's the doll. That child's doll was clearly meaningful to Kattigan, to the point of distraction. It clearly reminded him of something and the emotions were strong enough that he eventually ended up throwing that doll off a cliff. The deep grief of losing a child would certainly fit that bill, and certainly, the Robbie is playing Kattigan around these ideas of grief and parenthood strongly suggests as much; the way Robbie plays Kattigan moving around these ideas strongly suggests the shape of what is not being said.

redjennies

tymble goes so crazy and I'm tired of pretending it doesn't. they've both got that late teens energy in vastly different ways where Tyranny has never left home and is having the time of her life finally being free of her shitty family and Thimble has that teenage street rat who has seen it all vibe. they are both extraplanar monsters who were supposed to serve a man from a noble family, but Thimble was treated like a friend and ally to a born commoner and revolutionary and Tyranny is the poorly supervised employee of a sheltered foppish prince. Tyranny is desperate to prove she's not like other demons but makes creepy little chittering noises while she munches body parts and Thimble is an unapologetically abrasive cute little pixie who keeps slaughtering entire dungeons of baddies. they have matching besties ear bar piercings from before they even met. Tyranny clearly wants Thimble to like her so very bad and Thimble wants Tyranny to know she doesn't have to act like Wick's servant. they even hate each other's stupid boyfriends.

utilitycaster

I do find it hard to talk about Wick, because I like him a lot but I have found that we're running into the Dominant Culture problem we often do in fandom.

Characters who leave a cultish or restrictive religious tradition, and who grapple with learning that what they were raised in might be not just untrue, but used to control and oppress others, are very popular in fandom. It's not unwarranted: that's a relatable experience for many people, to varying degrees.

However: the Candescent Creed, and the Chamber of Lords-Advisory in which the Sundered Houses hold power and which they are using to further consolidate power and crush dissent and rebellion in Dol-Makjar have been ruining the lives of quite a few people, and notably, wizards and fairies. They killed Thimble's closest friend not a week ago.

To put this very bluntly and very plainly: if you are relating to Wick because you are a white person who has left a conservative Christian practice, that makes a lot of sense. If you are saying "damn, why are Murray and Thimble so mean to him on the worst day of his life", that's because his family is responsible for not just the worst day of their lives, but indeed a pretty significant amount of the ongoing oppression they experience, while he was shielded from it and even benefited from it for years. It might be worthwhile for you to consider if this is how you engage with people in your real life. Wick feels betrayed by his family, and controlled by them, and is struggling with what he believes, and all of that is valid. But Murray's passion and job and friends have been squeezed in a vise over the course of at least a year if not more; and Thimble's friends and family are actively being starved out by the Candescent Creed's policies.

It's true that Wick has recently (like...literally, a week ago) learned about the Candescent Creed, and that he was not as an individual directly responsible for all of these policies, but he was, in fact, the next in line for the seat of power. Why are the people who have been struggling under House Halovar's thumb obligated to spare him sympathy for the shock of learning about what has been their grim reality for months or years?

As many people from minority groups and particularly ethnic and racial minority groups can tell you, when there's news of a mass shooting for something even tangentially related to an issue that affects our community, we hold our breath and hope the shooter was a white Christian man. Being judged on behalf of the actions of some in a community to which you belong - or recently belonged - is not fair, no, but to act as though it's a unique injustice to Wick rather than him having his first ever taste of the unfairness experienced by literally everyone else, is, at best, a very sheltered and privileged opinion to have.

Or even more bluntly, and I will admit I'm addressing this head on because this was a serious problem in the last campaign: I admire those who leave a harmful ideology behind. Often, however, this happens when they suddenly move from beneficiary of that ideology to its target. And while this separation can be immensely painful, do not demand of those who have always been the target to tend to your wounds before their own. Do not ask the minority to acknowledge you as One of the Good Ones. Do the fucking work.

utilitycaster

I am not quite done but every single conversation or internal feeling exploration at this campfire is more incredible than the last. d&d actually is the act of telling stories around a campfire by telling stories about people telling stories around a campfire.

kiwimintlime

what a world for an orc to live in. a world full of people who still worship the old gods, still cling to their memories. gods who, through their actions, told you that your liberation was a sin. that it was your birthright to suffer under the hand of an unjust tyrant, your birthright to wage war aimlessly in life and in death. that wanting anything more, anything better, anything else, was not your place. for an orc to live in a world where people think that those gods are to be mourned, what a fate.

lady-writes

And all of ^^THAT^^ is before we even get into the fact that the dwarven Shapers holy site is built into and over the desecrated bones of the earth titan who came before her... The Earth Titan who's been mythologized into her wife across time and translation as if the reality of the situation isn't plain to see for anyone with eyes and the ability to read - "...This wall was a holy site of Tehana, who was the primordial of earth, and that these statues [of/to Trohzna] were built to deface it."

The Shaper's tried to eradicate Druids and the old path first. Disgust is not only reasonable but rational and warranted

kiwimintlime

what a world for an orc to live in. a world full of people who still worship the old gods, still cling to their memories. gods who, through their actions, told you that your liberation was a sin. that it was your birthright to suffer under the hand of an unjust tyrant, your birthright to wage war aimlessly in life and in death. that wanting anything more, anything better, anything else, was not your place. for an orc to live in a world where people think that those gods are to be mourned, what a fate.

bryaraga

adding these tags from @quiddie

kiwimintlime

what a world for an orc to live in. a world full of people who still worship the old gods, still cling to their memories. gods who, through their actions, told you that your liberation was a sin. that it was your birthright to suffer under the hand of an unjust tyrant, your birthright to wage war aimlessly in life and in death. that wanting anything more, anything better, anything else, was not your place. for an orc to live in a world where people think that those gods are to be mourned, what a fate.

weirdmushrooms

I saw this screenshot and had a vision

currentlycryingaboutlancelot

the thing that you HAVE to understand about much ado about nothing is that beatrice and benedick are NOT COOL. they are HUGE DORKS and also major softies. they make everything loud and obnoxious and about themselves because they are SO hurt about what happened in the past between them and SO sensitive about it. Beatrice says this more explicitly but it’s also true about benedick. he gets legitimately so upset and angry when he thinks beatrice doesn’t know who he is at the party and she calls him a dumbass. he storms off stage when he sees her next. because he’s hurt!!! because it really really matters to him what she thinks!!!! and right after that Beatrice literally talks about how Benedick “lent [her his heart] awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice” HE BETRAYED HER and she’s STILL UPSET. “thus goes everyone to the world but I, and I am sunburnt” she is not railing against marriage because she’s principled against it or because she’s Strong Female Character (tm). she’s sunburnt!!! she loved benedick more than he loved her and she’s still torn up about it!!!! she would rather never deal with that again!!! which is what you have to understand here. they are putting up fronts that they don’t care all the time. they are putting of fronts of Cool Mean Witty Remark Girl and Living It Up As A Bachelor Dude but this is not who they are in ANY way and they are both so sensitive and get hurt so easily!!!!!! and this is why they almost don’t get together this is why they almost take it all back in the last scene!!! they can’t be vulnerable! they can’t risk it! it’s easier to be Cool Mean Witty Remark Girl than just Beatrice who got her heart broken and now can’t trust anymore. it’s easier to be Living It Up As A Bachelor Dude when you blew it with the girl you’re obsessed with and you survived war just to go back to her after you broke her heart and she calls you a dumbass to your face. the vulnerability necessary to their relationship only happens through their friends but otherwise they are actually hopeless. it is so so important to me that these two are both incredibly sappy losers

whyvern-art

i think caduceus has full meta awareness and molly does not. does this make sense

blue-uppercase

local priest experiences being the narrative's favorite little meow meow: bursts into tears on the spot (more at 8)

saintessinthegutter

Sleeping habits on the road.

punken316

@orion-the-gatherer its them

ahastycrblog

The animated series definitely implies that one of the reasons that Essek is going to fall for Caleb is because he's going to be the first person to actually LISTEN to him talk about dunamancy, and then continuously reinforce how fascinating he thinks the subject is.

Like, Caleb might be the first person who will understand dunamancy on the same level as Essek and also WANTS to talk to him about it! It's obvious that, unspoken as it is, this is something Essek desperately craves and is not receiving, either on the side of the Empire or the Dynasty.